Ponce District Senator Ramoncito Ruiz Nieves spoke about the situation of the Department of Education, especially the appointment of Jesús González Cruz as interim secretary of education, who did not pass the Senate crucible yesterday, Tuesday.
“Mr González’s letter of introduction is simply unfortunate. The Senate has concluded that González Cruz does not meet the requirements for the position. My position is that Governor Pedro Pierluisi should not insist on leaving him in office while appointing an owner secretary. He does not have the qualifications “, added the senator, who worked in depth on the case of schools in the southern area, especially on the structures affected by earthquakes.
“We are talking about the fact that Gonzalez holds a position in the Corrections Department. During Carlos Molina’s term, with unfortunate results, the whole country knows this. Then he was deputy mayor in Arecibo, with even worse results. We can’t have another Julia Keleher in office. “Ruiz Nieves said yesterday that the Department of Education has a budget of millions of dollars in federal funds and a great responsibility to the 200,000 students.” This great responsibility also comes back. “My recommendation to Governor Pierluisi is that you must make sure that you appoint someone whose letter of intent is impeccable. Whoever you appoint must respect the highest values of integrity, honesty and commitment,” he added.
When it became known yesterday that the Senate had loudly defeated the appointment, the governor asked González to remain in charge of the department “provisionally until he appoints the secretary in office and the Senate gives his consent,” said Pierluisi, who did not specify how long. it would take time to make the appointment.
“It simply came to our notice then. It is possible to have extra time, indefinitely, without a secretary from the Department of Education. The worst thing would be to appoint and confirm a person who does not have the qualifications. And in this serious responsibility, in addition to being the senator for all the municipalities that make up the Ponce district, I must also be a senator for the children of the rest of Puerto Rico “, concluded Ruiz Nieves.